Extinct species ignored

Extinct species ignored

JAKARTA (JP): Most governments in the world have failed to fully implement the international convention on the protection of endangered species.

The World Wide Fund (WWF) said on Saturday that 124 countries, which signed the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), have not adopted the convention in their national policies, Antara reported.

Even the richest countries in the world do not have adequate regulations on the subject, or face problems in the implementation of the convention, Stephen Nash, assistant director of TRAFFIC, WWF's program on the international trade of endangered species, said.

This year's meeting of CITES will take place from Nov. 7 to Nov. 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Nash said that the U.S. could not include the resolution of the convention in the federal code due to its complicated bureaucracy.

Japan does not have the specific regulations to enforce CITES. It lacks specifics on confiscation, which makes it difficult for the government to confiscate endangered species being traded.

The countries which signed the convention are supposed to issue national regulations on the trade of endangered species and periodically report any trade activity to make sure that this will not bring species into extinction.

During the period between 1983 and 1992, however, 77 member countries failed to make such reports.

WWF Director General Dr. Claude Martin said that CITES would not work without the political commitment of the member countries.

WWF lists Indonesia's red and blue lorry parrot among the 10 animals and plants nearest to extinction.

Other animals nearest extinction are Asia's tiger, Africa's black rhinoceros, China's giant panda, the Asiatic black bear, the hawksbill sea turtle, the saiga antelope of Mongolia and Russia, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, and the Egyptian tortoise.

The Himalayan yew, a tree, is the only plant species included on the list. (sim)